It’s a fair bet that any given person in the UK has thought about winning the lottery. The opportunity to clear debts, crack the ever more expensive property market, and buy a car that only gets a few metres to the gallon is a nearly universal dream for Britons. Yet, only a few of us have been fortunate enough to claim the biggest jackpots around, whether that’s from the EuroMillions, Lotto, or something more exotic.
The EuroMillions, a lottery with a maximum possible win of €190m, might be considered a bit of a misnomer, given that only 9 of the 44 sovereign states in Europe can play. However, its popularity within those select countries is remarkable. To date, there have been 19 big winners of the bi-weekly event – 11 in the UK and Ireland, 4 in Belgium, 3 in Portugal, and a single winner in Gran Canaria, Spain.
As the EuroMillions jackpot can roll over week after week if it goes unclaimed, all but two of the five biggest EuroMillions jackpots have been of the maximum amount. The winner from Spain scooped their prize on the sixth rollover, meaning that there were no jackpots handed out during the preceding three weeks. Similarly, Portugal’s biggest winner claimed the same amount on the same bounce.
The UK and Ireland
As mentioned, the UK and Ireland have both the largest number of winners and, arguably, the most famous. The Bayfords and the Weirs, from Haverhill in Suffolk and Scotland, respectively, collected a combined €375m in EuroMillions jackpots. According to the winners list, the two couples made headlines for myriad reasons, not least because the media frenzy surrounding the Bayfords win ended their marriage.
The Wiers earned their fame in a different way. During the 2014 Scottish referendum vote, which ultimately resulted in the country remaining a part of the UK, the Weirs contributed 79% of the total money spent to make the vote happen. While the referendum may not have gone their way, enabling democracy is certainly a novel way to spend a EuroMillions jackpot. They did also buy a £3.5m mansion, though.
Of course, donating to charity is something common to (most) lottery winners. The Weirs set up their own Trust that helps to promote sport, animal welfare, and health in Scotland, while one anonymous winner from France gave €50m of their €72m jackpot win to good causes. Not too much is known about the Bayfords charitable deeds but Adrian at least made one dream come true, that of re-opening his old record store.
As far as lotteries are concerned, the UK has an advantage over the rest of Europe, as winnings from this kind of game are not taxable by the government. The Weirs and Bayfords kept all of their money, but a jackpot claimant from Portugal had to hand over a fifth of their €190m windfall to the Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority. It’s hard to imagine how green with envy that made the UK’s own HMRC.
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